Lead for printing presses



June 19, 1934. KITTLE 1,963,585

LEAD FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Dec. 11, 1931 Patented June 19, 1934UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to a lead for spacing type bars in aprinting press and more particularly to a lead to be used on a printingpress having a rotating impression cylinderor impression sector.

At the present time the impression surfaces of cylinders or sectors forprinting presses are either cast in semi-cylindrical form or provided inelectrotype form. In either case the impression surfaces may be securelyfastened to the impression sector without difficulty in spite of themagnitude of the centrifugal forces present in the impression surfaces.When the same impression surfaces are to be used for large quantities ofwork, the expense of casting or electrotyping these surfaces is notobjectionable. When, however, it is necessary or desirable to employ animpression surface which may be readily altered in whole or in part, itis difficultto secure the impression members, such as type bars, orslugs, within the rotating impression cylinder or sector.

Furthermore, the spacing of the type bars within an impression sectoralso presents a real problem, inasmuch as the centrifugal forces createdin the spacing leads during rotation often move the leads out to andbeyond the impression surface, thus causing the rulingof straight linesbetween the printed lines or striking adjacent parts is the provision ofa lead forspacing type bars on a rotating impression sector, said leadbeing so formed that it cannot protrude up to or beyond the impressionsurface of the type bar.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of projectionsupon a spacing lead for rotating impression'sectors in a printing presswhich will not permit the movement of the lead toward the impressionsurface, in spite of the centrifugal forces created in the lead.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a leadwhich is shorter than the associated type bar but which is provided withprojections so that the lead will not protrude to or beyond theimpression surface although end pressure cannot be exerted upon the aplurality of lateral projections spaced longitudinally along said lead.

Otherand further objects of the invention will be suggested to thoseskilled in thelprinting art, as the disclosure of the invention isdeveloped hereinafter.

The above and other objects of'the invention are obtained by theprovision of a lead for spacing type bars in a'printing press which isprovided with laterally projecting ears spacedlongitudinally along thelead, said ears being adapted to engage or abut the shoulder usuallyexisting on known forms of type bars.

Reference is made to theaccompanying drawing wherein similar referencenumerals designate similar elements and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of lead according tothe invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of 'a modified form of lead according tothe invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred form of lead showing itscooperation with a known form of type bar, a part of the lead beingbroken away to clearly disclose the complete formation of the type bar.

. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section through a lead and associated typebar taken on the cutting plane 44 of Fig. 3. V

1 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an impression sector showing therelative position of lead and type bar therein and showing the knownclamping means forcreating end pressure upon the type bars to hold themwithin the impression sector.

Referring first toFig. 5, the impression sector includes a frame 10which is adapted to be attached in a known manner to the rotating partof a printing press. Segments 11 and 12 are secured in the frame 10,adjacent each endthereof. An electrotype holding member 13 is securelyfastened to the frame 10 of the impression sector betweenthe endsegments 11 and 12. The electrotype holding member 13 is provided on itsconvex surface with a plurality of undercut ribs 14, the spaces betweenribs 14 being adapted to receive complementary ribs on the under surfaceof the electrotypes (not shown). I

The clamping meansv for holding the interchangeable impression membersor type bars 15 within the impression sector comprises a movable segment16, having a stud 17 sliding within the end segment 12 to guide andmaintain the movable segment 16 within the impression sector, and a pairof bolts 18 threaded through the end segment12 and abutting the side ofmovable segment 16. 7 7

The type bars 15 are placed within the impression sector and aresecurely held in place by means of end pressure created by turning bolts18 to bring movable segment 16 against the ends of type bars 15. It iscustomary to place sheets of rubber 19 between the ends of type bars 15and end segment 11 and between the ends of type bars 15 and movablesegment 16. The sheets of rubber 19 may be replaced by similarly shapedsheets of any material which is rugged, slightly compressible and ofhigh friction coefficient.

The type bars 15 are circumferentially spaced within the impressionsector by means of leads 20 which are preferably tapered in a verticalor radial direction. The construction thus far described is known in theprinting art and presents the problem which the present invention isadapted to overcome.

If the leads 20 are merely coextensive with the type bars 15 thecentrifugal forces created in the leads 20 upon rotation of theimpression sector will move these leads out to the impression surface orbeyond, with the dire results previous- .ly mentioned.

In order to meet this situation, it has been proposed to make the leads20 longer than the type bars 15, but the sharp edges of the leads sooncut into the sheets of rubber 19 so that the centrifugal forces againmove the leads radially to seriously hamper the printing operation. Itshould be noted that the end pressure provided by the clamping means issuificient to maintain the type bars 15 in place within the impressionsector but this is only true because the type bars 15 are pressed backinto place by each contact with the paper or surface to be printed.

The present invention now proposes the provision on the leads ofprojections which are adapted to engage the type bar so that the lead 20is also held or moved back into proper position upon each contact of theimpression surface with the surface to be printed.

In one form of the invention, see Fig. 1, these projections are in theform of ears 21 which are stamped out of the lead 20 and longitudinallyspaced at intervals along the upper edge thereof. Since the leads 20 arevertically or radially tapered, the cars 21 are provided along the wideredge which is the upper edge.

A modified formation of spacing lead 20 is shown in Fig. 2. In this formthe laterally projecting ears 21 are as before, placed at longitudinalintervals along the lead 20 but are also in spaced relation to the upperor wider edge of the lead 20.

The laterally projecting ears 21 engage a shoulder 22 of the type bar 15when the lead 20 is placed adjacent thereto, as shown in Fig. 3. Thetype bar 15 is of usual construction having an inverted L-shapedcross-section and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced, verticalsupporting partitions 23. It is quite clear from the verticalcross-section through the type bar 15 and lead 20 shown in Fig. 4 thatthe ears 21 abut or engage the shoulder 22 of type bar 15. Not only dothe laterally projecting ears 21 and lead 20 keep the lead from movingradially out- Ward with respect to type bar 15 but the leads 20 arepressed back to position by the type bar 15 every time it makes contactwith the surface to be printed. For this reason there is deemed to benovelty not only in the particular formation of the leads but also intheir combination with the type bars held in an impression sectorprimarily by end pressure.

The present invention is quite susceptible to many variations andmodifications such as changes in the spacing or placement of the ears 21and modification of their provision either integrally or detachably onthe lead 20.

Having now particularly described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a printing press, the combination with an impression sectorrevolubly mounted and a type bar frictionally held in said sector, of alead for spacing said type bar, not connected to said sector and havingprojections engaging said type bar whereby the lead can not protrudebeyond said type bar.

2. In a printing press, the combination with an impression sectorrevolubly mounted and a type bar having a shoulder and an impressionsurface thereon and frictionally held in said sector, of a lead forspacing the impression surface of said type bar, not connected to saidsector and having projections engaging the shoulder on said type barwhereby the centrifugal forces set up in said. lead can not move thesame with respect to said type bar.

3. In a printing press, the combination with an impression sectorrevolubly mounted, a type bar having an impression surface and a longitudinal shoulder and a clamping means on said sector for frictionallyholding the type bar therein, of a lead vertically tapered, for spacingthe impression surface of said type bar, not connected to said sectorand having ears engaging the shoulder thereof whereby the type bar isfrictionally held in the impression sector and the lead is positivelyprevented from protruding beyond said type bar.

4. In a printing press, the combination with an impression sectorrevolubly mounted, a type bar having an impression surface and alongitudinal shoulder and a clamping means on said sector forfrictionally holding the type bar therein, of a lead for spacing theimpression surface of said type bar and being vertically tapered andshorter than said type bar, and having-ears engaging the shoulderthereof whereby the type bar is frictionally held in the impressionsector and the lead is positively prevented from pro-' truding beyondsaid type bar.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a lead for spacing type bars beingno longer than said type bar and vertically tapered, and having aplurality of laterally projecting cars which are longitudinally spacedalong the upper and wider edge of said lead and which have type barabutting surfaces substantially parallel to the upper edge of said lead.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a lead for spacing type bars beingshorter than said type bar and vertically tapered, and having aplurality of laterally projecting ears which are spaced longitudinallyalong the upper and wider edge of said lead and which have type barabutting surfaces substantially parallel to and in the plane of theupper edge of said lead.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a lead for spacing type bars beingvertically tapered and having a plurality of laterally projecting earsspaced longitudinally along said lead and each provided with a surfaceadapted to engage from beneath only a suitable customary surface on thetype bar. 7

HOWARD A. KITTLE.

